


See you then

by Polyhexian



Series: Humanformers: The Music AU [30]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Humanformers, M/M, POV Third Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26612536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polyhexian/pseuds/Polyhexian
Summary: Rewind calls his dad.
Relationships: Chromedome/Rewind (Transformers)
Series: Humanformers: The Music AU [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859230
Comments: 5
Kudos: 30





	See you then

"We weren't really close," said Chromedome, "So it… I mean I'm upset they cut me off, but I guess I don't really… miss them."

"That's really sad," Rewind replied from where he was sitting in Chromedome's lap, "I've always missed them. I was just too proud and stubborn to admit I was wrong, and then so much time had passed…"

Chromedome thought about it for a moment. "You haven't spoken to your parents in ten years?"

"It's just my dad," Rewind corrected, "I guess I never really knew my mom. She died when I was too young to remember her."

"So you've got siblings, then?"

"Yeah, three," Rewind nodded, "Two sisters and a brother." 

"Are you a middle child? You've got middle child energies."

Rewind snorted. "How would you know? You're an only child." He pulled Chromedome's arms tighter around his chest. "I'm technically the youngest, actually."

Chromedome frowned. "What do you mean technically?"

"Eject and I are twins. He's eight minutes older than me."

Chromedome blinked before he leaned down to stare at him. "You have a _twin?_ You didn't tell me you had a twin."

Rewind averted his gaze. "It didn't come up in conversation."

Chromedome frowned and gave him a squeeze. "You keep a lot of secrets, you know? Not on purpose, I think, but you always keep things you don't want to think about so close to your chest. I don't think you like being vulnerable."

"No one likes being vulnerable," Rewind muttered.

Chromedome huffed a sigh. "So, three siblings, huh? Your house must have been a circus growing up."

"Oh, yeah," Rewind laughed, brightening, "Flip-Sides is six years older than me and Rosanna is five, so me and Eject being so much younger meant we were kind of monsters to them. We did a lot of pranks. And then Flip-Sides bulked up and just started sitting on us when she was mad."

"So it was… good?" Chromedome prodded apprehensively, "Like, overall?"

"Oh, yeah, my childhood was fine. My dad was great, he used to do like a radio show and I got to go in sometimes when I was little and help him push all the buttons. Good memories of that," he smiled. "Yeah, pretty good. We ate dinner as a family every night, you know, so like. Yeah, good."

"I'm jealous," Chromedome chuckled, "I always wanted a sibling. My parents got me a goldfish instead."

"Eject and I used to pretend we had twin telepathy," Rewind bubbled, "We had this whole entire system to communicate like, body language alone so we could pretend we were reading each other's minds. It drove people crazy!"

"Okay but you can't _actually_ read each other's mind right?" Chromedome teased.

"Hush, you," Rewind snorted, jabbing him playfully with his elbow, "No, not _really._ We were just really close." He frowned and looked down at his lap. "Yeah. Used to be."

"So what happened?" 

"It…" Rewind hesitated before he ran a hand through his hair, "As a teenager I was kind of like- I mean I didn't really realize I was gay until kind of late in my teens and I was really restless about it, and I met Dominus at a bar and it just- it was all pretty secret, right? Really on the down low, but like. I couldn't keep anything from Eject. So he found out and we kept fighting about it, and then he told our sisters and they yelled at me and I didn't listen to them either and then he told _Dad_ and that was like. That was it. I got in a huge fight with him about telling Dad and how he shouldn't be meddling in my life and-" he looked askance, taking a deep breath before he shook his head. "I told him that none of them really cared about what I wanted and that I didn't need them and then I just left." He frowned. "Well, I also called him homophobic, but, he really wasn't, he was just like- hey, Rewind, maybe don't get involved with a married dude who's like twice your age, but I didn't really want to hear it."

"I told you you're stubborn," Chromedome sighed, "You let that argument sit for ten _years?_ "

Rewind winced. "Well, I was still with him for like three and a half years, and then I was like… it just felt like it had been so long, and I didn't want to admit I was wrong so I just kept avoiding it and before I knew it- years had gone by and I would have to explain why I waited so long, and…"

"And you were scared," Chromedome murmured into the top of his head, "It's okay. They're probably worried about you."

"...Eject texted me while I was in the hospital," Rewind mumbled, "I didn't even know he had my number. I've changed it a few times."

"What did he say?" 

"He just said 'are you okay?'"

"What did you say?"

"I didn't respond," Rewind admitted, "I had other things on my mind- I mean, you were missing."

Chromedome grimaced. "Sorry."

"I probably wouldn't have responded anyway," Rewind sighed, "I still don't know what to say."

"Just say you're sorry," Chromedome said gently, giving him another squeeze, "And that you miss them."

Rewind fidgeted. "I think I should call my dad first."

"Okay. Do you wanna do it now, or do you wanna psych yourself up first?"

"I want to do it now. If I put it off again I'll chicken out," Rewind admitted, pulling out his phone, "Hold my hand, okay?" 

"Of course, heart." Chromedome took one of his hands while Rewind typed in a number that wasn't in his contacts and held the phone to his ear. Chromedome noted the slight tremble that had entered his hand and squeezed it as reassuringly as he could. 

"Heyo, Blaster here, who's calling?" Rewind took a stuttering inhale but didn't otherwise answer, frozen. "Hello?"

Chromedome gave him another squeeze and Rewind shook his head. "Um, hey, Dad, it's uh- it's me. It's Rewind."

There was a beat of silence. "Rewind? What's wrong, baby, what do you need?"

"Wh- no, no, um- nothing's wrong, I don't… I don't need anything." 

Another beat. "I'm glad to hear it. It's… been awhile since anyone heard from you."

"I know," Rewind said, tilting his head up as his voice cracked, "I should have called sooner."

"Better late than never," said Blaster, voice soft, like he was speaking to a wild animal, "I've missed you, Rewind."

Rewind inhaled sharply and rubbed at his moist eyes. Chromedome squeezed his hand again. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I know I should have."

"It's okay, it's okay. How have you been? Are you and, uh- Dominus, right? Are you two still-?"

"No," Rewind said quickly, "No, not for years. I'm seeing someone else now. I …you were right, Dad. About him. I should have listened to you. I'm sorry."

"No, baby, I'm sorry, I would have rather I been wrong and you been happy." 

Rewind sniffled and shamelessly wiped his nose on his sleeve. "I should have called sooner." 

"You're calling now, aren't you?" 

"Yeah," Rewind nodded, "Yeah, I am." 

"Hey, you know, Thanksgiving is coming up at the end of the month. Why don't you come home? It sure would be nice to see you. If you wanted. You can bring whoever you're with now if you want."

"Are you sure?" Rewind asked, "It would be okay?"

"More than okay," Blaster said earnestly, "It would make my year to see you again."

Rewind hiccupped on an aborted sob and wiped his whole face aggressively, "What about- what about everyone else? Are you sure they want to see me?"

"You know the girls can't hold a grudge. Eject… he misses you more than he wants to admit. I know he wants to see you again. But… maybe you should call him first, and let him know yourself." 

Rewind shrunk into Chromedome's embrace and tightened his grip on his hand. "Okay. Okay, um, I can do that. Yeah. Thanks, Dad."

"Of course, Windy." Blaster hesitated a moment. "There ain't nothin' you could ever do that would make me not wanna see you come home again. I love you, Rewind."

"I love you too, Dad," Rewind gulped, "Thank you."

"Anytime, baby. Call me again later?"

"Yeah," Rewind sniffled, voice breaking again, "Yeah, I will. I promise." 

"I'm looking forward to it. See you soon, hun."

"See you soon," Rewind hiccuped and hung up, before he rolled over and threw himself into Chromedome's chest, sobbing and clutching his shirt.

"You did such a good job," Chromedome rushed to tell him, holding his partner as tightly as he could, "See? That went so well. He missed you."

"I can't believe I waited so long," Rewind wept, "I'm a horrible son. He wasn't even _mad_ at me."

"You're not a terrible son," Chromedome reassured him, "You were a kid and you didn't know better. I bet he knows that."

"I feel horrible," Rewind shuddered, "I think I'm gonna throw up."

"You can throw up on me if you want, heart," Chromedome said with the lilt of somber teasing, "I promise I won't hold it against you."

Rewind sniffled laughter through his tears and blew his nose on Chromedome's shirt.

"Oh, no," Chromedome told him, tone even lighter than before, "I didn't say you could do that. That's a deal breaker."

"I bought you this shirt," Rewind giggled, "I'll buy you another." 

Chromedome nuzzled their faces together fondly. "Happy you called?"

"So happy," Rewind said, letting out a hard breath, "God, I'm so relieved. I feel like a hundred pounds is off my shoulders." 

"Good," Chromedome whispered into his hair, "You did good. You're okay." 

"Yeah. I'm okay. I'm good."

"I'm so proud of you. I know how hard that was."

"I need to talk to Eject," Rewind shivered, "I'm not looking forward to that conversation."

"If it's too hard to call, you could send him a message. You said he texted you, right?"

Rewind nodded.

"You don't have to do it right now. You can take a little time and then write him something. Tell him you're sorry and you miss him and you want to talk to him again if he wants to. It'll be okay." 

Rewind spent the next hour sniffling through stories from his childhood, pranks he'd pulled with his brother, the time Rosanna had hidden a cat in her room for three months before their dad found out, visiting his dad's radio station. Chromedome rubbed his back and listened until his eyes finally dried and he started to relax. 

"Are you sure you don't want to wait a little longer?" Chromedome asked when Rewind pulled out his phone and started typing.

"No, I just- I just want to get it over with. If I keep waiting it'll eat at me. I can't even think straight."

"Okay," Chromedome nodded, "Whatever you think you should do."

Rewind kept typing, laying against Chromedome's chest.

_Hey. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner. I guess you heard I was in the hospital. I had a lot going on and I didn't really know what to say._

_You were right about Dominus. From the start. You know how stupid and stubborn I can be. I couldn't admit I was wrong, even to myself. I was, though. And even when I realized that I was afraid to talk to you again. The last time we spoke I said some really horrible things to you that I've regretted ever since and I know I can't take back. I'm so sorry. They weren't true. I know you were just looking out for me. I was the asshole._

_I called Dad today. He asked me to come to Thanksgiving. I'd like to see you again, but if you ask me not to come I won't. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have, but I miss you._

Rewind hit send and immediately dropped his phone like a hot iron and collapsed back into Chromedome's chest, curling his legs upward. Chromedome pet the back of his head and pulled him close, as comforting as he could.

"It'll be okay. You did your best and now you just need to wait. It's okay."

"God, I'm so stressed already," Rewind groaned, "I can't handle this."

"Yeah you can. You're tough as hell. What, you're rock solid when your coke addict boyfriend has a suicidal meltdown but not texting your brother?" Chromedome teased weakly, "You're okay. You can handle anything."

"God, shut up," Rewind snorted, "That's terrible. Don't joke about that. I cried like a baby for days." 

"Sorry," Chromedome sighed, "How about I make dinner, huh? I'll make you a pot piiiie!" 

"I do love your pot pies," Rewind mused, "Can I help?"

"Sure, if you want. You can chop onions. You know I hate chopping onions."

"Oh, you're giving me the lame jobs already!" Rewind laughed, "You monster!" 

"Mmhmm," Chromedome hummed with a smile, "Your favourite kind."

"My favourite kind," Rewind repeated in a loving whisper, before he wiped his face in Chromedome's shirt again and stood up. "Come on, let's go make dinner. I have to do something with my hands."

"Can I go change my shirt first?" Chromedome asked, inspecting the wet spot over his chest.

Rewind rolled his eyes. "Yes, go change your shirt first, dummy." 

Eject didn't reply until late in the evening, hours and hours later, and when he finally did, it was nothing more than _K. See you then._


End file.
